Kit: Cuba

Packing for three weeks of travel could easily balloon into roller bags, laptop cases and fanny packs. If you’re staying in luxury hotels and somebody else is handling your gear, fine. Bring the sheepskin robe. But if you may have to spend full days carrying your luggage on your back, then you’re limited to the essentials. Here’s what I stuffed into my GORUCK GR2 for three weeks in Cuba.

GORUCK GR2

GR2 Field

This is the field pocket for the GR2. It opens flat, with three internal compartments that are ideal for storing cables, headphones, flash drives and camera batteries — things that are otherwise easily misplaced. It has MOLLE webbing so you can attach it to the interior or exterior of the GR2.

Brick Bag

It’s called the brick bag because it’s designed to carry bricks during the GORUCK Challenge, but it also serves a variety of other purposes. I used it as a camera bag in Cuba, rolling it up and stuffing it inside the GR2. If space is tight, it also also attaches to the outside of the bag via compression straps, which comes in handy if you’re using it as a dirty laundry bag.

Asus VivoTab

Canon Nifty Fifty

At $110 the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II is probably the best investment I’ve ever made. It’s not the best lens, and you can hear it auto-focusing from the next town over, but for the price it takes beautiful photos, especially portraits.

Mophie Juice Pack

This is a no-brainer for travel. It doubles battery life and looks good. Sleek as it is, it does make the iPhone feel a little bulky, so I’d leave it behind on trips where there’d be guaranteed access to a power source every day.

PocketMedic First Aid Kit

Clif Shot Energy Gel

I swear by caffeinated nutrition supplements — but not so much for training (there are better alternatives). It turns out the combination of calories and caffeine makes them a good substitute for bus station breakfasts. Hey, I’m all for eating the local cuisine, but after getting sick on my last two trips I’d rather eat from a tube than collect stool samples for my doctor.

Nau Carry-On Blazer

Oakley Radar Path

I took heat from my friends for looking like I was going on a covert ops mission rather than vacation, but the reality is my Oliver Peoples shades haven’t seen the light of day since I got these sunglasses. They’re ultralight, customizeable for fit and lens color (pictured here with the G30) and highly impact resistant.

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